


Unpleasantness and Precedent

by octopodian



Category: Stellar Firma (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Typical Abuse, M/M, i dont like writing sad stuff as it turns out, it makes me feel sad, uh implied character death too?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:42:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22671958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octopodian/pseuds/octopodian
Summary: Percy looks up, still stiff. “My name is Percy. I am a bio-facsimile, here to-”“Oh, a clone?”Percy blinks. “Yeah.” In a more formal voice, “I mean, yes.”Trexel rolls his eyes. “You don’t have to sound all fancy.”
Relationships: Trexel Geistman/Percy
Comments: 35
Kudos: 161





	Unpleasantness and Precedent

**Author's Note:**

> I WROTE THIS IN LIKE 24 HOURS SORRY IF THERES ERRORS that new episode hit hard huh

Trexel is working on a drawing (of him, and mum, and dad). He’s been drawing it for a few hours now: he makes sure to add all the little details on the uniforms and everything. He hears the door woosh open, roughly when he expected it to, and he quickly puts his crayons aside and rushes to the door, drawing in hand.

“Mom! Dad! I made-” 

“Ugh, Trexel, shush.” She winces, pressing a hand to her head.

“Not now, Trexel,” his dad says, frowning.

“But I drew-”

“Trexel,” his dad warns. Trexel bites his lip, finally looking over and noticing a third person who came into the room. They look Trexel’s age, though a bit taller than he is: tawny brown skin and curly hair just barely avoiding falling in their eyes. They glance over at Trexel quickly, and then quickly look back at the floor like they’ve been caught doing something wrong.

Mrs. Giestman waves her hand boredly, pouring herself another drink. "Trexel, this is Percy. He's going to be spending time with you now. Go let him tell you things, and leave your mum alone, okay?"

“But-”

“Trexel,” his dad groans again. 

“Fine. C’mon,” Trexel says, waving towards his room. 

Percy doesn't move, just stands stiffly in the doorway. Trexel huffs, grabs his hand, pulls him away. Trexel shuts the door and flops down on his bed, and Percy still just stands still looking at the floor.

“Well? Who’re you? Why’re you here?”

Percy looks up, still stiff. “My name is Percy. I am a bio-facsimile, here to-”

“Oh, a clone?”

Percy blinks. “Yeah.” In a more formal voice, “I mean, yes.” 

Trexel rolls his eyes. “You don’t have to sound all fancy.”

“Of course I do. I’m programmed to…” Presumably, Percy keeps talking, but Trexel gets distracted. He tears up the drawing he had in his hands, especially making sure his mom and dad get disfigured, dropping the pieces to the floor. Then he points to his crayons.

“D’you like drawing?”

Percy blinks, again, like a cat. “Um. I dunno- don’t know. I was born today. I’m not really… supposed to?”

“It’s fun! C’mon.”

After 10 minutes Trexel doesn’t really finish anything he likes, and he scribbles his page out in thick black, and he looks over at Percy, who appears to be- drawing Trexel.

“...is that me?”

Percy once again starts like he’s been caught doing something wrong. “Um…”

“Lemme see.” Percy sheepishly hands it over. Trexel doesn’t want to admit it, but it looks good. It’s clearly him while he’s drawing: tongue stuck out at an angle, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

“I didn’t know what else to draw. Sorry.”

“No, I love it!” Percy looks at him with those huge brown eyes, slightly startled, and Trexel blushes slightly. “I mean, it’s alright. Good. It’s… fine. Good.”

“I’m not very good at drawing, sorry.” Percy bites his lip.

Trexel disagrees, but lets it go for now, saying “maybe we can play a game instead?”

That night he falls asleep clutching the paper close to his chest. 

☆

Percy always acts so stiff around Trexel’s parents, and Trexel realizes he often acts the same way: quiet, holding still, trying not to attract any attention in case the attention turns into anger. Percy is better at it, though: Trexel keeps blurting things out without thinking or tries to show off impulsively, and it always makes people mad even though he’s just trying to make them happy.

His parents love Percy. He never speaks up, and always quietly sits until excused. They keep muttering things about hoping he rubs off on Trexel, manages to teach him how to behave.

Trexel finds himself wishing he was a little more like Percy. Maybe then they would like him.

☆

“I mean, don’t you get annoyed? I know I do.”

“Well, they do own me, Trexel. I’m not exactly trying to pick a fight with your parents.”

“Yeah, but they’re so…” Trexel does his best impersonation of his dad, puffing out his chest and puckering his lips. “Ah, yes, I am very important and smarter than you. Shut up! Don’t talk to me! Don’t you know who I am?!”

Percy laughs, light like a windchime, but then he freezes, coughs, scooches away from Trexel as fast as possible.

"What? What's wrong? I know I’m not that good at doing his voice, but-”

Percy looks at the door nervously. "Clones aren't supposed to- we aren't supposed to be  _ friends _ .”

Trexel feels a stab of anger in his gut. "So what, you don't like me?"

"No, I do! It's just, I’m not supposed to laugh with you, or anything. I’m just supposed to be making sure you don’t die! If standards found out- Board, if your  _ parents  _ found out-'

"Well, they don't have to!"

Percy doesn’t look convinced, but nods. “I guess. Sorry, I just… I don’t wanna be recycled. I like spending time with you.”

Trexel shakes his head. “That’ll never happen.”

He sounds more confident than he really is, but Percy’s shy smile makes it worth it.

☆

“I’m going to be the greatest employee Stellar Firma has ever seen! I dunno what I'll do, but I'm gonna be great at it!” Trexel declares. He pauses, staring at his ceiling. “What do you wanna be when you grow up?”

Percy looks over from his spot, cross-legged on the floor. “I’m a clone. I’m already doing the job I was made for.” 

“Okay, but, you were made to help me. What if I don’t need help later? I mean, I’m almost 12, I’m gonna be a teenager any day now!” Percy shrugs, not looking up, focused on his drawing. Trexel flops over onto his stomach, looking at him. “You should be an artist! Your drawings are good!”

Percy flushes. “They’re  _ okay _ . I mean, I just draw them for you.”

Trexel pretends not to be flattered. He hasn't told his parents who drew all the pictures plastered over his walls. They never go into his room anyway: it can be his little secret.

“Well, you should do it for other people!”

Percy smiles, half sad, half patient. “I’m a clone, Trexel. I can’t be an artist.”

“Well, that’s dumb!”

A quiet security claxon beeps. They’re intentionally muffled in senior living quarters: it’s a perk of quality genetic lineage. 

Percy shrugs. "That's how it is."

“But, if you just had more than my dumb pencils and crayons, you could really-”

“It’s okay, Trexel. I’m just a clone.”

Trexel bites back an argument, and flops back on his bed, crossing his arms. He stays sulking, even when he feels his bed sink as Percy sits down next to him.

“Sorry, Trexel. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset,” Trexel sulks.

“It’s just the rules. I was born to do this, just like you were born to be a citizen employee. We’re both stuck.”

“I guess,” Trexel mutters. 

“...Y’know what always cheers me up?”

Trexel sits up. “...Singing a song?”

Percy grins. “Nooot exactly…”

Before Trexel can protest, Percy tackles him against the bed, viciously tickling his ribs and sides.

“Ah! No!” Trexel giggles. He manages to gasp enough breath to wheeze out a “Stop!” through his laughter, and Percy leans back with a wicked grin, finally letting Trexel breath. 

“See! Always cheers me up.”

“Oh, let’s see how you like it!”

They both collapse in a pile of giggles.

Trexel decides it doesn't matter what he grows up to be, as long as Percy is there too.

☆

“Percy?”

“Mhm?” Percy is drawing another picture of Trexel - he’s been drawing a lot of them lately.

“You… you said we couldn’t be friends, right?”

Percy frowns. “Trexel, I didn’t mean that. It’s just… my programming. You know I still-”

“Well, what if I don’t want to be friends?” Trexel blurts out, resisting the urge to slap himself after he does so.

Percy’s face falls. “O-oh. I mean… of course. I’m just a clone, I- yeah, that’s-”

“Wait, no!” Trexel yelps. “I mean, uh… what if I wanna, maybe… be… something else?” 

Percy’s eyes go wide, deep and brown and- 

Trexel hesitates. He'd never really seen this happen, didn't really know what to say or do- and then Percy's crossed the room and his lips are gently pressed to his cheek.

Percy smiles softly, and Trexel beams back.

"I think I'd like that, Trexel."

"Me too!" 

They hold hands until his parents come home, and then they pretend to be just a human and a clone, pretending to be the people they were supposed to be.

☆

Of course Trexel would ruin it all. He always ruined everything good in his life. Stupid, pathetic Trexel.

☆

Trexel hadn’t known. He hadn’t known they’d be home so soon, that they’d see them, that they’d-

“No, Dad, it wasn’t what it looks like,  _ please-” _

“Talking? With a clone?!”

“Laughing with it? Touching it? Like you’re  _ friends _ ?” His mum looks disgusted. Trexel feels tears stinging at his eyes, but he tries not to cry, tries not to make it any worse. 

“You’re a Giestman, Trexel! You can’t be acting like this, it’s not right!”

His mom waves at security, face in her hand like she can’t even bear to look at Trexel. “Take the clone away!” 

“You’re going into school tomorrow, Trexel. You need to earn to act  _ normal _ . This behavior is below the station of a Geistman!”

Percy doesn't say a word, just stands quietly, stiffly, like he always does, like it'll keep him safe even now.

“Percy!” Trexel wails. His dad’s hand is so tight around his arm it's bruising it, and even as Trexel fights he can only watch as Percy gets dragged away. He catches one last glimpse of those big sparkling eyes, and then Percy is gone. 

Trexel is locked in a box. 

Trexel is sent to school. 

Trexel is taught to behave.

And Trexel promises he’ll never love a clone again.


End file.
